John Wilkinson has a new job in the Ontario legislature.
An announcement was made last Wednesday, Aug. 18, that the Honourable John Wilkinson, MPP for Perth-Wellington, has been named Minister of the Environment. He succeeds John Gerretsen, who has held the post since October 2007.
“He’s certainly done a good job of representing our area, and this is definitely a step up for him,” Wellington North Mayor Mike Broomhead said of Mr. Wilkinson’s promotion.
John Wilkinson was first elected to the Ontario legislature in 2003 as the MPP for Perth-Middlesex. He was re-elected in 2007 as the MPP for the new Perth-Wellington riding, and was appointed Minister of Revenue in June 2009.
Wilkinson previously served as Minister of Research and Innovation in 2007. He also served as parliamentary assistant to Premier Dalton McGuinty and was assistant to then Minister of the Environment Leona Dombrowsky in 2004. He was also appointed by the Minister of Finance to serve as the vice chair of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation.
“No matter what John does, he stays on top of things,” added Mayor Broomhead.
The Ministry of the Environment was established in 1972, and is responsible for addressing the environmental issues affecting the environmental protection of Ontario, from the province’s Drive Clean program to larger initiatives such as Ontario's Green Energy Act.
The landmark Green Energy Act is expected to boost investment in renewable energy projects and increase conservation, creating green jobs and economic growth in Ontario.
Earlier this month, the provincial McGuinty government announced the province's first-ever wind turbine blade manufacturing plant and a new solar module manufacturing facility will serve Ontario's growing clean energy industry.
Guelph will be the site of the first module facility in North America, creating up to 500 jobs. It follows on the heels of an announcement to build a wind turbine blade manufacturing plant in Ontario that will create up to 900 jobs.
Mr. Wilkinson has also been a strong proponent of the province’s new harmonized sales tax (HST), calling it a positive move for employment and the economy in Ontario.